critics consensus

Cabin in the Sky's racial stereotypes are impossible to ignore -- but so are its irresistible musical numbers and brilliantly talented cast. Read critic reviews

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Cabin in the Sky Photos

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Movie Info

When compulsive gambler Little Joe Jackson (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson) dies in a drunken fight, he awakens in purgatory, where he learns that he will be sent back to Earth for six months to prove that he deserves to be in heaven. He awakens, remembering nothing and struggles to do right by his devout wife, Petunia (Ethel Waters), while an angel known as the General (Kenneth Spencer) and the devil's son, Lucifer Jr. (Rex Ingram), fight for his soul.

Genre:

musical
Original Language:

English
Director:

Vincente Minnelli, Busby Berkeley
Producer:

Arthur Freed
Writer:

Marc Connelly, Lynn Root, Joseph Schrank
Release Date (Theaters):

Apr 9, 1943 wide
Release Date (Streaming):

Apr 16, 2012
Runtime:

1h 38m
Production Co:

Metro Goldwyn Mayer

Cast & Crew

Ethel Waters
Petunia Jackson

Eddie "Rochester" Anderson
Joe Jackson

Lena Horne
Georgia Brown

Louis Armstrong
The Trumpeter

Rex Ingram
Lucifer Jr., Lucius

Kenneth Spencer
The General, Rev. Greene

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Critic Reviews for Cabin in the Sky

All Critics (47) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (9)

[Cabin in the Sky] is one of the most charming, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable pictures that Hollywood has sent out in some time.

December 16, 2020 | Full Review…

Marjory Adams
Boston Globe
It is something for you to go out of your way to see and hear.

December 16, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

Wanda Hale
New York Daily News
The chief fault, it seems to us, is the unimaginative direction of Vincente Minnelli who never takes full advantage of the motion picture medium's facilities for creating fantasy... If Minnelli has fumbled his opportunities, Miss Waters has not.

December 16, 2020 | Full Review…

Mildred Martin
Philadelphia Inquirer
Like many star-filled pictures, this one never really shows off its crowded heavens.

December 16, 2020 | Full Review…

James Agee
TIME Magazine
The superb artistry with which [Ethel Waters] is so richly endowed is constantly in evidence, not only in her interpretation of the songs but in the emotional power she displays, as well as the gayer manifestations.

December 16, 2020 | Full Review…

Len G. Shaw
Detroit Free Press
Cabin in the Sky would be worth the price if only to permit observation of Miss Waters' acting skill.

December 16, 2020 | Full Review…

Colvin McPherson
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
As a whole it is excellent entertainment, and has proven to be a fine vehicle for the talents and versatility of the notable cast.

December 16, 2020 | Full Review…

Harry Levette
California Eagle
Ethel Waters has great emotional power not only in her singing of "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe" and "Taking a Chance On Love," but in every gesture and mood she portrays.

December 16, 2020 | Full Review…

Moira Wallace
San Francisco Examiner
[Cabin in the Sky is] a fantasy that has great moments and other moments which rise little above the routine of the common or garden Hollywood musical.

December 16, 2020 | Full Review…

Thomas Archer
Montreal Gazette
For sheer entertainment Cabin the Sky is high up on the list of current film attractions.

December 16, 2020 | Full Review…

Jane Corby
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
The sum total is definite entertainment.

December 16, 2020 | Full Review…

MPH Staff
Motion Picture Herald (Exhibitors Herald)
There is enough variety to give some measure of pleasure to every one who can be induced to see the film.

December 16, 2020 | Full Review…

Film Daily Staff
The Film Daily